A woman has a 1 in 67 chance of developing ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women, and it causes more deaths than any other type of female reproductive cancer.
The cause is unknown.
The risk for developing ovarian cancer appears to be affected by several factors. The more children a woman has and the earlier in life she gives birth, the lower her risk of ovarian cancer. Certain genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) are responsible for a small number of ovarian cancer cases. Women with a personal history of breast cancer or a family history of breast or ovarian cancer have an increased risk for ovarian cancer.
The use of fertility drugs may be associated with an increased chance of developing ovarian cancer, although this is a subject of ongoing debate.
The links between ovarian cancer and talc use, asbestos exposure, a high-fat diet, and childhood mumps infection are controversial and have not been definitively proven.
Older women are at highest risk. About two-thirds of the deaths from ovarian cancer occur in women age 55 and older. About 25% of ovarian cancer deaths occur in women between 35 and 54 years of age.
Ovarian cancer symptoms are often vague and non-specific, so women and doctors often blame the symptoms on other, more common conditions. By the time the cancer is diagnosed, the tumor has often spread beyond the ovaries.
However, now there is a suspected link between Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and ovarian cancer. For many years, HRT has been suspected as a culprit in breast cancer; but now scientists report that there is a 20% higher risk of a woman developing and dying from ovarian cancer if they have been taking HRT.
Researchers summarize that this finding was anticipated, as HRT does promote growth of estrogen stimulated tumors.
This finding identifies another risk for women who are considering taking Hormone Replacement Therapy for menopausal symptoms.
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